Simple daily habit could help people with type 2 diabetes manage blood sugar
Everyone ate similar meals, followed the same schedule and continued their usual diabetes medications in both conditions.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
While average blood sugar levels didn’t differ drastically between the two conditions, people spent more time in the healthy glucose range when they were exposed to natural daylight — their blood sugar fluctuated less and stayed within a desirable range for a greater portion of the day.
Participants who were exposed to daylight burned more fat and fewer carbohydrates, a metabolic pattern linked to better blood sugar regulation. (iStock)
Exposure to natural light also affected metabolism. In daylight, participants burned more fat and fewer carbohydrates for energy.
Muscle biopsies and laboratory tests further showed that the genes responsible for the body’s cellular clocks were more synchronized under natural light conditions, the study revealed.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
Better alignment of these genes can improve nutrient processing and how cells respond to insulin, the researchers concluded.
Sitting near windows or spending more time outdoors could support diabetes management alongside standard treatments, researchers say. (iStock)
However, daylight isn’t a replacement for medication or traditional management strategies like diet and exercise, according to the team.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
The study did have some limitations, including that the group of patients was small. The researchers cautioned that larger studies are needed to confirm these results and determine how much natural light exposure is optimal.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
“This study also highlights the often unnoticed impact of the built environment on our health, and raises further concerns about the prevalence of office environments with poor (natural) daylight access,” the researchers noted.
Article source: https://www.foxnews.com/health/simple-daily-habit-could-help-people-type-2-diabetes-manage-blood-sugar